The Sustainable Garden
Your Site Is Already Doing The Work
Every garden site has built-in conditions that shape what’s possible.
Sun exposure. Wind patterns. Soil texture. Drainage. These factors don’t change easily — but they can be used well.
Instead of trying to override site conditions, resilient gardens adapt to them.
Spend time noticing:
Where afternoon sun is strongest
Where soil stays damp or dries quickly
Where snow lingers longest
These observations are design tools.
When plants are placed where conditions already support them, maintenance decreases and resilience increases.
Next week, we’ll look at layouts that reduce water demand before irrigation ever comes into play.
Happy Gardening!
Ramona
Bloom Gardens www.bloomgardens.org
March Tips & Checklist
Consider taking soil samples to determine fertilizer needs.
Plant seeds of cool-season vegetables (peas, lettuce, and radishes) as soon as garden soil is workable.
Consider planting peas in the garden every 2-3 weeks (until early May) to extend the harvest.
If you didn’t do it in the fall, add organic matter to the vegetable garden to help build and amend soil.
Avoid compacted soil in the garden by not tilling when wet or saturated.
Consider backyard composting or vermiculture (composting with worms).
If storing bulbs, check their condition to ensure they are firm. Remove any soft or rotten bulbs.
If locally available, plant bare-root trees and shrubs. Keep the exposed roots moist until planted.
Remove protective trunk wrap and burlap from trees after the snow has melted.
Fertilize spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodil, fritillaria, and crocus.
Plant cold-hardy pansies and primrose.
Subscribe to Utah Pests IPM Advisories for timely tips on controlling pests in your yard and garden.
Attend a USU Extension-sponsored pruning demonstration near you. Contact your local county Extension office for information.
Apply horticulture oils at bud break (delayed dormant) in fruit trees to control overwintering insect pests.
Apply pre-emergent herbicides in late-March to mid-April to control annual weeds in the lawn such as crabgrass and spurge.
Sharpen lawn mower blades to prepare for the mowing season. Set mower height at 2 1/2 to 3 inches, and mow at this height all summer.
Consider including a native fruiting species in the landscape, such as chokecherry, elderberry, serviceberry or currant.
Pests and Problems:
Download the Utah Home Orchard Pest Management Guide.
Learn about damping-off, a fungal disease that affects new seedlings.
Take control measures during bud break for aspen leaf spot, which may be prevalent during cool, wet springs.
Take control measures during bud break for anthracnose, which may be prevalent during cool, wet springs.
Control rust mites in apple and pear trees after leaves have emerged and expanded to 1/2 inch.
Apply dormant oil to pears when leaf buds swell. This smothers eggs of the pear psylla that are laid on buds by overwintering adults.
A Lifelong Love of Wildlife
When Colleen and Jerry Winters moved to St. George in 2014, their yard was already landscaped - tall Italian cypress trees, structured beds, and a traditional lawn.
Then came a deep freeze. The cypress trees didn’t survive. What might have felt like loss slowly revealed itself as opportunity.
Early Bird Tickets Are Now Available
Early Bird ticket sales are officially open as of February 12 and will be available through March 27 at midnight.
See you at the Parade of Gardens; April 24th-26th, 2026.
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